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Poet to Poet is a project that brought together poets from Scotland, England, and from the Hebrew and Arabic cultures of Jerusalem. The poets translated each other's work from one culture to another and discussed and developed the process of translation.
All the poets were encouraged to write new work in their own language in response to the project. The four poets from the UK travelled to Jerusalem and spent time there prior to the translation work, so that they had the opportunity to experience the country in their own way. The Hebrew and Arabic poets, with the UK poets, then spent time at Cove Park which gave them a different perspective on the translation experience.
All the artists involved are interested in the notions of nationality, history and identity in their work, as well as the releationship of these to religion and language. Poet to Poet Translation works on the principle that a faithful rendering of a poet's work does not necessarily convey its true intent or significance.
The project examines the idea that a successful translation can, and should, be a unique collaboration between two imaginations - the result of two poets working together without the medium of a literal translation.
In 2005 Cove Park began to develop these ideas through a reciprocal residency with a writers centre in China. Five poets from the UK and five poets from China spent two weeks together, first in China and then at Cove Park. The resulting translations and new works have since been published extensively and have been the subject of readings across the UK.
The second Poet to Poet was then devised, to involve Scottish, English and poets from the Hebrew and Arabic cultures of Jerusalem. The Scottish poets brought artistic concerns to do with nationhood and borders and one of them, WN Herbert, writes in Scots as well as English.
Rody Gorman brought the vital dimension of Gaelic to the project, in this way completing the range of Scottish experience which is particularly relevant to a project which will inevitably engage with the subject of national identity.
The Poet to Poet Translation project was a collaboration between Cove Park, British Council Scotland and Edinburgh: UNESCO City of Literature.
Poet-to-Poet Translation is one of the most important strands of Cove Park’ annual programme of residencies. Cove Park was founded in 1999 and is located in an outstanding rural setting on Scotland's west coast. It is an international resource, dedicated to artistic excellence and to the support of individuals and groups working in the arts or creative industries.
Cove Park is open to international participation and partnerships and provides opportunities for professional development in a dynamic and multi-disciplinary environment.
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